Knitting machine



Oct. 22, 1935. E. WILDT ET AL KNITTING MACHINE Filed March 20, 1930 3 SheetsSheet l Oct. 22, 1935. E. WILDT ET AL 2,018,167

KNITTING MACHINE Filed March 20, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Oct. 22, 1935. E. WILDT ET AL 2,018,167

KNITTING MACHINE Filed March 20, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 II V N 4W [292% Patented Oct. 22, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE KNITTING MACHINE Application March 20, 1930, Serial No. 437,315 In Great Britain March 23, 1929 15 Claims. (Cl. 66-135) This invention consists in improvementsin or relating to knitting machines and has for its object to provide a novel method and a novel mechanism of introducing vertically laid walethreads into the fabric.

The invention deals with a method of knitting in which, when desired, a Wale-thread can be interlocked into the back of the fabric by feeding it to its needle in such a manner that it is passed round the needle without entering the hook. For example, in the case of a latch-needle, it is passed below the latch of the needle before the latter is moved downwardly by the stitch-camor for an equivalent operation. A Wale-thread is well understood to be a thread that is knitted or introduced into the fabric in a vertical direction, not necessarily always on the same needle, as distinct from a ground-thread, which is laid more or less horizontally into the fabric.

According to one feature of the invention, a Wale-thread that is to be passed round its needle without entering the hook is supplied to the needle at a position in advance of that at which another Wale-thread is passed round its needle to be fed into the hook thereof.

In the specific form of the invention here illustrated and described, a needle round which the thread is to be passed without entering the hook is raised at a position in advance of the normal clearing position to a height which will clear the needle-latch above the Wale-thread.

The Wale-thread feeders are conveniently se lectively moved lengthwise of the needles to bring some to a more relatively raised position than others for a purpose that will be more clearly defined in the following description.

The invention also includes mechanism which comprises normal clearing and knitting cams, an

additional raising cam operating to raise all the needles prior to the operation of the normal clearing cam, Wale-thread feeders, and means selectively to operate certain of the feeders in ad- Vance of others so that those actuated in advance will wrap their threads round needles which are raised by the additional clearing cam.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, one preferred example will now be described with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a central vertical section through that portion of the patterning head containing the Wale-thread feeders and actuating cams, and is a section on the line l-| of Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, showing only the thread-guide actuating cams in their positions relatively to the thread-guides;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3--3 of Figure 1, showing only the actuating cams for the instruments by which the thread-guides are caused to wrap their threads round the needles, and 5 Figure 4 is a development of the single feed or needle-cam-system of the machine illustrated viewed from the axis of the needle-cylinder.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views. 10

In the drawings, substantially only those parts of the apparatus necessary for the understanding of the invention are illustrated, and it will be realized that below the patterning head, illustrated in Figure 1, will be the usual needle-cylin- 15 der arranged coaxially with the patterning head.

It will be realized also that the invention is not limited to single feed machines.

As shown in the drawings, particularly with reference to Figure 4, the usual needle-cams I0, 20 H, l2, l3, l4, l5, l6 and [1, suitable for knitting hose or half-hose are provided in known manner. The invention, however, is not limited to this particular cam-system as the invention is applicable to machines employing any other 25 normal knitting cam-system. In advanceof the clearing-cam l2 in round knitting (the upper surface of the heel and toe stitch-cam in a hose machine), there is provided an additional raising cam l8 which is higher than the cam I2. The 30 term in advance is used herein to denote the relative positions of the cams having regard to the time at which they will act on the needles in each individual pass of the feed over the needle banks. With the special raising cam is associ- 35 ated a down-throw cam 20 which brings the needles down just below the height of the normal clearing cam. The additional raising cam l8 raises all the needles, and for those from which the Wale-threads are to be cast-off without 40 entering the needle hooks, the appropriate walethread feeders l9 will be operated at the position A to pass their threads round those particular needles. Thereby the Wale-threads which (in any given course) are to be cast-off without 45 entering the hooks of their needles and being drawn into loops, are placed or disposed about their needles behind the respective needle latches; that is to say, below the latches when the needles are placed vertically as in the accom- 50 panying drawings; since however the invention is not limited to vertically arranged needles, I usually use the term behind", rather than below, as more appropriately distinguishing this placement of the threads from placement on the latches or on the needle body between the latch and the hook. The remaining needles, although raised by the additional raising .c'am, do not receive a Wale-thread because their respective thread-feeders have not been actuated to pass their thread round them.

Other thread-feeders which are to lay their threads into the hooks of the needles to be retained therein and which, as described in our prior application Serial No. 341,874 are raised by the jacquard-selecting device, operate at position B to lay their threads when their needles have passed from beneath a down-throw cam 20 and are at the height determined by the lower face 35 of the cam 20 in rear of the special raising cam 18 above mentioned.

The ground-thread is carried round in its usual position (e. g. through the guide aperture 33 in the latch ring 34) in relation to the normal cam-system, and, consequently, all the needles willvreach the ground-thread in a position to take it in the normal manner. After taking the ground-thread, the needles are retracted to castoif position at the bottom of cam l5.

For timing the operation of the thread-feeders relatively to the action of the special cam l8 and ordinary clearing cam l2, there are provided two feeder-cams 2| and 22, one of which, viz. 2|, is operative in advance of the other and rotates in a path at a different (lower) level from that of the other. The other cam 22, that is, the one that is in the rear, is at a higher level and operates on the butts of the thread-feeders when they have been raised by selection. Thus, the cam 2| is in a, position to act on those butts of the thread-feeders that have not ben so raised.

The two cams 2| and 22 are preferably interconnected so that they are movable together and adjustable into several positions, for example, into the full line positions in which they will be operative on the feeders, or, alternatively, into the intermediate dotted positions in which they will be inoperative to move the feeders (when unpatterned knitting is desired), or, alternatively, into the innermost dotted positions whereby they are sufficiently retracted to enable the cam-block 32 with the cams to be withdrawn downwardly from the patterning head, the cams being in a position to pass through the circle bounding the lower portions of the thread-guides. This adjustment is made possible by the use of an adjustable cam 21 which engages with apin 28 projecting from the cam 2|. The cams 2| and 22 are pivotally interconnected at 29; a pin 30 guides the free end of cam 22, and the cam 2| is pivotally mounted at '3! in a cam-block 32.

The thread-feeders are passed from one side to the other of a needlein order to wrap the walethread round the needle by any preferred means, preferably by radially-disposed instruments 23 that may be projected and retracted at desired times, into and out from the paths of abutments 24 on the feeders, by means of earns 25 and 26. Cam 25 serves to project and withdraw the instruments 23 in association with the movement imparted to the unselected thread-feeders by the cam 2|, and the cam 26 is similarly associated with the cam 22.

The reference herein to passing a thread round a needle without entering the hook thereof is to be understood as applying not only to latchneedies but also tov bearded needles.

We claimzl. The method of knitting, on a bank of needles, in the formation of an individual row of wrappings will be cast-01f, thereafter disposing 5 Wale-thread. wrappings on needles at positions thereon wherefrom the latter wrappings will be drawn into loops at the needle hooks, at least one of the last mentioned needles lying between a needle bearing a Wale-thread disposed for cast- 10 ing-off and a needle from which loops are about to be cast-oil", and after the second mentioned wrappings have been so disposed casting-off the first mentioned wrappings together with the thread-loops produced on the needles prior to the 15 said disposing of said first-mentioned wrappin s on needles.

2. The method of knitting, on a. circular bank of latch needles, in the formation of an individual row of stitches of a fabric including wale- 20 threads together with a ground-thread, which consists in wrapping Wale-threads on successive needles successively, and respectively between the end of the needle latch and the needle hook, angularly therebehind projecting to a clearing 25 position successively the needles carrying said wrappings, angularly behind said projecting of needles to a clearing position wrapping walethreads on successive needles successively, and respectively between the end of the needle latch 30 and the needle hook, and angularly behind said second wrapping of Wale-threads on needles retracting the needles which bear the Wale-thread wrappings, whereby the first made wrappings on the needles which were projected to said clearing 35 position are cast-off and the remainder of the wrappings of Wale-threads are retained in loops at the needle hooks.

3. The method of knitting, along with a. ground-thread fed to the needles successively, 4 Wale-threads some of the wrappings of which are to be cast-off the needles without being drawn into loops by the needle hooks and other of the wrappings of which are to be drawn into loops by the needle hooks before being cast-off, which 45 consists in making those wrappings which are to be cast-off the needles without being drawn into loops by the needle hooks, at a different distance from the point at which the ground-thread is being fed to the needles, than those wrappings 50 which are to be drawn into loops by the needle hooks before being cast-off.

4. The method of knitting, along with a ground-thread fed to the needles successively, Wale-threads some of the wrappings of which are 55 to be cast-off the needles without being drawn into loops by the needle hooks and other of the wrappings of which are to be drawn into loops by the needle hooks before being cast-off, which consists in placing below the respective needle- 90 latches, at one distance from the point where the ground-thread is being fed to the needles, those wrappings which are to be cast-off the needles without being drawn into loops by the needle hooks, and making, at another distance from the 65 point where the ground-thread is being fed to the needles, those wrappings which are to be drawn into loops by the needle hooks before being castoff.

of needles, along with a ground-thread fed to the needles successively, Wale-threads, some of the wrappings of which are to be cast-off the needles Without'being drawn into loops by the needle hooks and other of the wrappings of which are 5. The method of knitting, on a circular bank 7 to be drawn into loops by the needle hooks before being cast-ofi, which consists in feeding the ground-thread to the needles successively continuously and, while said ground-thread is being fed to needles, making those wrappings which are to be cast-oii the needles without being drawn into loops by the needle hooks at a different; distance from the point at which the groundthread is being fed to the needles, than those wrappings which are to be drawn into loops by the needle hooks before being cast-off.

6. The method of knitting, along with a ground-thread fed to the needles successively, Wale-threads some of the wrappings of which are to be cast-off the needles without being drawn into loops by the needle hooks and other of the wrappings of which are to be drawn into loops by the needle hooks before being cast-off, which consists in making those wrappings which are to be cast-off the needles without being drawn into loops by the needle hooks and raising the corresponding needles to a height to assure the clearing of their latches above said wrappings, and, at a. lesser distance from the point at which the ground-thread is being fed to the needles, making those wrappings which are to be drawn into loops by needle hooks before being cast-off.

7. The subject matter of claim 3, characterized by the fact that the needles of those wrappings which are to be cast-off without being drawn into loops by the needle hooks, are raised to a clearing height prior to the raising of needles in association with the feeding of ground-thread.

8. A method of knitting employing vertically laid Wale-threads in which: a Wale-thread is passed around its needle at a position removed from that at which another wale thread is passed round an adjacent needle to be fed into the hook thereof, and that needle supplied with a walethread at a position removed from the other is 'raised to a clearing height prior to the placement of said other Wale thread on said adjacent needle and prior to the raising of all the needles by the lifting cam associated with the feed for the ground-thread.

9. The method of knitting wherein walethreads are placed on latch needles along with a ground-thread, which consists in wrapping a Wale-thread round a needle and projecting the said needle to a clearing position, the said walethread thereby being disposed about the said needle behind the latch thereof, wrapping another wale-thread round another needle within the latch of said other needle, so that said second Wale-thread will be taken into the hook of said other needle when the latter is retracted, and also feeding the ground-thread to said needles to enter the hooks thereof, the said'two walethreads being wrapped on their respective needles at different distances from the point of feeding of said ground-thread, and then retracting said needles to cast-off positions.

10. Mechanism which includes a plurality of thread-feeders by which vertically laid walethreads will be ultimately knitted either by the hooks of the needles or, alternatively, will be passed around the needles without entering their hooks, said mechanism including in combination a needle-cam-system having normal clearing and knitting cams, an additional raising cam which operates on all the needles prior to the operation of said normal clearing cam, and means to select certain of the thread-feeders to pass their threads round the needles prior to their raising by the additional raising cam.

11. Mechanism which includes a plurality of thread-feeders by which vertically laid walethreads will be ultimately knitted either by the hooks of the needles or, alternatively, will be passed around the needles without entering their hooks, said mechanism including in combination a needle-cam-system having normal clearing and knitting cams, an additional raising cam which operates on all the needles prior to the operation of the said normal clearing cam, walethread feeders, means to select certain feeders to raise them to a greater height than the unselected feeders relatively to the needles, and two thread-guide actuating cams one in advance of the other, whereof that one which is in advance will act upon the unraised feeders to cause them to wrap their threads around the needles, and the second cam will act on the raised feeders.

l2. Mechanism which includes a plurality of thread-feeders by which vertically laid walethreads will be ultimately knitted either by the hooks of the needles or, alternatively, will be passed around the needles without entering their hooks, said mechanism including in combination a needle-;cam-sys'tem having: normal clearing and knitting cams, an additional raising cam which is of greater height than the normal clearing cam and operates to raise all the' needles prior to the operation of said normal clearing cam, Wale-thread feeders, and means to operate said feeders including means selectively to operate certain of the thread-feeders in advance of others of them so timed in relation to the needlecams that those thread-feeders that are actuated in advance of others will wrap their threads round the needles raised by the additional raising cam.

13. Knitting mechanism according to claim 12, wherein selected Wale-thread feeders are adjusted by that selection relative to their needles to a different height from that of the unselected feeders and two thread-feeder cams are provided for actuating respectively the selected and unselected thread-feeders, characterized in that the said two cams have respectively two distinct paths of movement, for the purpose described.

14. Knitting mechanism according to claim 11, wherein the thread-feeder cams are interconnected and are together movable into and out from positions at which they are operative on the thread-feeders.

15. The subject-matter of claim 11, wherein the said thread-guide actuating cams are interconnected and are movable to an operative position, to an inoperative position, and to a third position in which they are inoperative on the thread-feeders and are so far retracted as to enable the support on which they are carried to be withdrawn bodily from the patterning head without fouling the thread-feeders.

EDWIN WILDT. HENRY HAROLD HOLIWES. 

